So, you might be reading these reviews because you are attracted to, or maybe just curious about the N900. After all, why would anyone want to drop over $400 on a phone, that's, well, not really a phone, and has had a lot of excellent reviews, but also a few terrible ones, that if true, would make your purchase a complete waste of money? Let me guess, you are a bit of a technophile, not necessarily a dweeb or a Linux hound, and you may or may not have heard of an 'X terminal' ( or whatever it's called ;) ) and you might be put off by all this hacking talk and 'root, supervisor, debian' language etc? So I would like to relay my experience in going though this process and getting on the N900 wagon :) (12 steps anyone?;) just kidding!)
I consider myself a techno type person, I love the gadgets, but do not just rush out and blindly purchase the latest and greatest soon to be doorstop! As a scientist by profession, research and more research is my approach. I've been following the N900 since it's release last year, and have seen, what was almost a prototype (!) evolve nicely, so much so that many, if not all of the early software complaints have now been alleviated either by Nokia, or by some very clever, and generous, members of the N900 coding community (Thank you to them).
Anyway, about two weeks ago I was reading the newer reviews and came across a recent purchaser's words that really made sense. To paraphrase, they said to treat the (incredibly powerful) N900 as a normal phone, just learn the bits that make sense to you at the time, and explore it's capability as your knowledge of the system increases. No pressure! All of a sudden I didn't have to be a techno wizard, :) all you had to do was play and enjoy your new gadget. It was really the excuse I had been waiting to hear! ;)
So, a 'click' at 8am Monday, and overnight shipping (highly recommended, it was only an extra $10), a box arrived by breakfast Tuesday! So, it's only been a few days (and I will update this after more experience), but here are some thoughts.
The resistive screen thing: yes it is different to the Apple products (I'm writing this on a iPad), but certainly as functional and easy to use. You have to use a little more pressure it seems, and maybe be a tad more deliberate with your 'swipes', but it works really well. Zooming is also easy. No multitouch here, but with the volume rocker acting as a zoom switch, and intelligent 'double tapping' zooming, it all works very well. I have heard many complaints about the Maemo operating system, but to be honest, I find it intuitive, accurate, clever, easy to use, and with a quick learning curve. Getting to grips with the symbian system on the E90 was much more complicated IMHO.
The iphone thing: Many of my friends have iPhones, and these tend to be the nontechnical types who really just want a pretty interface that can play pandora music or look up the weather. If you are thinking about a iPhone, go ahead, it is a fun machine. If you want more however, then the N900 might be for you. Truly a pocket computer (which you need to recharge every night, just like if you used your laptop all day), it's capabilities are only limited by the imagination of those clever programming types who donate their time and skills to exploring the power of this machine.
Three things I would like to figure out in this regard (anyone working on this? ;) ) 1) get the video working on a skype call, 2) utilize latitude with google maps (I am sure google will bring this out soon for the N900, please? ), and 3) an easy non techo way to set up voip calls, so that all you need would be a data plan, and thus save the price of the phone within a year !! :)
Anyway, other reviews have covered the hardware and software adequately, and I won't repeat them here. Overall, I am very, very happy with the N900, and you never know, one day I might actually find out what that X terminal thing is all about ;)
Thanks for reading.
R.
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OK, well I have been using the N900 for about a month now and have got the hang of things a little - so here is an update on what you might find.
To address some the concerns I have read about:
Firstly the Maemo OS continues to amaze me with it's logical layout and easy learning curve. I suppose those who found difficulty with it were quite entrenched in their favorite systems.
There are certainly less 'apps' for Maemo than for the iPhone, but many of those iPhone apps are simply front ends for web pages, and as the N900 can access any web page you have the entire internet available to you, (and if you do not need a 'beer drinking' app, you won't miss much ;) )
The top row of keys is very close to the screen as it slides up, and if you are in a hurry, catching the correct letter may be a problem. The solution? Slow down ;) Seriously - take that extra two seconds to type your SMS and there will be no problem. Besides, the virtual keyboard is also very good.
Battery life - yes - it chews through power like a Ferrari on the home stretch :) and several hours of wifi / bluetooth / phone calls a day will require you to recharge overnight, or maybe in the evening. Some nifty little programs available allow you to turn the wifi on/off with one click, and that helps immensely.
No voice dialing, true, but there is a speed dial of sorts. I have filled two of the four 'home screens' with shortcuts to a dozen or more individual contacts, and so two touches of the screen dials a particular number - no problem :)
Now onto the things that really make it just feel good to use this thing:
I find that I am using the speakerphone a lot as it is so clear, meaning less things in your ear as you wander around the room :)
Many times while out & about I have received calls from friends who are calling using skype from their computers. As this phone has voip built in (I have skype and google talk accounts set up), the call integration is seamless and you cannot tell the difference between an incoming skype call and incoming cell call - either way it rings, the caller id pops up, and you answer. This is the way communication will go - and the N900 has it already built in :)
The ability to have multiple applications up & running is natural, just like your home computer. Didn't realize it was even an issue until the complaints about the iPhone! I usually keep 4 or five apps running - email, weather, sms, notes, podcasts, etc. It also ends up as the 'bedside radio' with easy to use podcasts and internet stations.
Customization: the N900 interface is completely customizable, even more so really than your laptop. I have it so that it mimics the display on the MacBook at home, so icons and programs are in similar places.
Evernote - everything you need, in your own personal cloud :) and available on your N900. Star Trek move over !! Amazing.
I've just signed up for skype credit with the ultimate goal of reducing dependance on 'minutes' on the cell phone plan and using the data plan instead. For $3/mo you can get unlimited calls within the US, and for 2c/min you can call the UK. You still have the issue of incoming calls taking up your minutes of course. It is easy to use skype as when you open up a contact there are the phone numbers you expect, but also the option to 'call with skype'. Very straightforward.
I could go on, but you get the idea - awesome phone, a real powerhouse with as much potential as you wish to use. Hope you enjoy yours as well :)
R
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Very good device, just for me
ADDED after having it for 3 weeks and a trip abroad:1) Main camera is really good, no matter what some people say. I made night and low light landscape pictures, no flash, from hand, and the quality is damn good for a phone camera. Flash is good enough to take night pictures of an object about 3 yards away. Daylight pictures - of amazing quality, especially landscapes.2) Built-in maps work off-line, which means, I don't need an internet connection to navigate. Download the maps of the area where you are going to beforehand, while you have a wi-fi or a cheap data plan, and then if you happen to not have an internet access when you are out there, you still will have the maps of the area. You'll have your GPS position on the map and still will be able to use the routing features. It's not perfect, since search of places by name will not work (search depends on internet access), but you can chose locations by pointing at them on the map. Network positioning will not work, of course, you'll have to rely on GPS only.3) I had to restart my phone just once in over 3 weeks, which I think is pretty good.4) Battery life never was a problem at all. With all the picture taking I had to recharge the phone only once in 2 days. I don't keep the GPS on all the time, only activate it as needed, which probably does the trick. I must admit that I don't text or browse uncontrollably, so probably I can be classified as a light user.5) The absence of MMS was disapponting. Normally, you always have email so you can live without it. But while travelling I found myself in a situation when I had no cheap and easy internet access for a while. So I had no email and no MMS, hence no way to share those beautiful pictures with anyone! As far as I can see, there already are some applications allowing to send MMS from N900, but I haven't tried them yet.Original review:I have my Nokia N900 for 3 days now, and I honestly don't understand complaints that the interface is not simple enough. For example, many reviews say that it's not so intuitive how to switch to a phone call mode, and that you need to use both hands to do it. Actually, it's very easy: select an option which launches the phone application each time the phone is turned into a portrait mode - and voila! - the phone launches itself with the wave of your hand. If that is not easy enough, then I don't know. I didn't have any problems with the interface at all. From my point of view, it's very intuitive. I must admit though that I am a professional programmer, and it kind of helps.Other than that, I guess I agree with the majority of reviewers.Pros: all hardware is just excellent. I didn't see specs like that for any other phone. As far as I could see, all the hardware really works as expected. Interface very nice and completely customizable. I like the way the Contacts are organized and managed. VoIP is integrated, contacts from Skype are imported into the regular phone book - very convenient. Nice main camera. Browsing perfect. Email perfect. Unlocked, which means that I can buy a local SIM card when I travel abroad, and save on roaming. Again unlocked, which means that I can switch providers if my T-Mobile stops being the best choice for this device. Plus I generally like Nokia products, they are very robust.Cons: Built-in maps have a very rudimentary interface, and no upgrade available. There is no problem with routing itself, but I didn't find any way to save my waypoints or select my waypoints from the contact list. That should be annoying if you have to use it more than once in a while. Built-in Skype doesn't allow video calls, even though there is a front camera just for these purposes. Lack of applications - personally for me it is not a big problem, I am too busy to worry about having games and specifically wanted just an Internet tablet. But for a person who needs to kill time playing games it might be a deal-breaker.Applications: funny, but even though there only 80+ available, so far I've found all I really needed, except good maps. Maybe I will need much more very soon - appetite comes as you eat - but so far this thing does all that I needed it to do. I can view documents, I can read email, I can browse internet. I can get weather on my desktop. I can get directions when I need them once in a while. I can call my relatives overseas for free via Skype-to-Skype calls. I can track my outdoor activities. I can take notes and make hand-writen notes to pdf files, almost as I would do while reading paper documents.Bottom line: all the cons that I see are on the software side, that is they should be fixable with a software upgrade or new applications. The hardware part is just excellent, so let's hope we'll see more excellent applications for n900 in the near future.
